Securing Our Energy Future
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with T. Boone Pickens, the life-long oilman who is rigorously promoting an effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. You’ve probably seen his commercials and you probably agree with his basic premise – what we’re doing isn’t working.
We are spending way too much on the purchase of foreign oil and we’re not doing enough to generate new sources of energy here at home. When an oilman like Pickens steps up and proposes pursuing alternative energy sources like wind and solar, we should all take notice.
I agree with Mr. Pickens that the energy problem permeates every aspect of our lives. It affects our national security, our economy, our health care system. Without an inexpensive, reliable energy supply, we see extreme volatility in our economy and the world. Unfortunately, years of government regulation have stymied innovation in the energy industry and we are in the midst of an energy crisis.
And while we have the technology to do it in an environmentally sensitive way, and we have the reserves to increase supply, it’s not enough to just explore for more oil here at home.
We need to do more. We need to pursue wind and solar energy and we must conserve.
We already have success stories like Sweetwater, Texas where thousands of operating wind turbines are generating enough electricity to power a large city, and they are doing it cheaply and cleanly.
We can build on this achievement, expand wind power across the country and create other positive effects. More wind power means less natural gas would be needed to generate electricity. In turn, that natural gas could be used to power our cars, further reducing the need for oil.
This begs the question - what can the federal government do to bring about a new energy supply structure here at home? The answer from experts is loud and clear – get out of the way.
Regulations and restrictions are holding us back. We are too wedded to the old way of thinking about meeting our energy needs. We need to take advantage of new technology, explore new ways to conserve energy and find new energy sources. We also need to provide incentives to those who are investing and producing alternative energy.
A secure energy future, independent of foreign oil, is a real possibility but not a certainty. I am hopeful for and committed to the innovation, technology and bipartisanship needed to achieve it.
